Eco-tours and historic homes aren't to be missed

Explore the homes of iconic inventors (Fort Myers): The Edison and Ford Winter Estates are major tourist attractions in this Gulf Coast town and for good reason. A tour of the homes also includes a spin through a terrific 15,000-square-foot museum that highlights inventions and memorabilia from both men's illustrious careers.

Edison's lab is kept in the same state as it was in the latter years of his life, and it's worth taking a look at the inventor's swimming pool, one of the first modern ones built in Florida. At Ford's home, the porch offers a grand river view (239-334-7419; efwefla.org).

Attend a spring-training game (Fort Myers): A trip to Florida's baseball spring-training is a must-do seasonal stop. Even if you're not a die-hard fan, the appeal of sitting in the sunshine, sipping a beer and lolling away an afternoon is a powerful attraction.

There are more than a dozen spring-training sites in Florida, but the Fort Myers area is a hub of ballpark activity in March, with the Minnesota Twins and Boston Red Sox both in town — and the Tampa Bay Rays not too far up the road in Port Charlotte (mlb.com).

Dive into Dali and dolphins by the bay (Tampa/St. Petersburg): The Salvador Dali Museum and the Florida Aquarium are two educational and fun attractions in the Tampa Bay area.

The museum houses the largest collection of Dalí's work outside of Spain, including eight masterworks and 96 oil paintings as part of a total of 2,140 Dalí paintings, prints, sculptures and drawings (727-823-3767; salvadordalimuseum.org).

The attractions are underwater at the Florida Aquarium, which offers a window into the eco-system of sharks, otters, coral reefs, birds, gators and other wetland inhabitants. For a $19.95 admission, the 200,000-square-foot attraction has enough substance to occupy a day. There are daily penguin, otter, shark and coral-reef shows and stingray feedings included for regular admission.

For additional costs, visitors can swim in the coral reef tank or board a boat for a Tampa Bay eco-tour.

The aquarium is next door to Channelside Bay Plaza, home to shops, budget-friendly dining and a multiplex movie theater. Joffrey's Coffee Co., just outside the main entrance, serves breakfast all day, as well as Cuban sandwiches, all under $10 (813-273-4000; flaquarium.org).

Take an eco-tour (Naples): Located between Naples and Marco Island, the Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve offers twice-weekly guided kayak tours of an ecosystem that is home to more than 150 species of birds and wildlife. Cost for the two-hour tour is $35 and pre-registration is required (239-417-6310; rookerybay.org).

Day tours of the Everglades also are offered by Southwest Florida EcoTours, which provides airboat rides into the Everglades, scenic boat rides into the Ten Thousand Islands, Audubon Corkscrew Swamp tours and other outings. The trips are led by certified naturalists and most include lunch (239-776-9050; southwestfloridaecotours.com).